George Russell was again behind the wheel of the Mercedes F1 W09 on the last day of in-season testing. The Mercedes reserve driver completed 116 laps at the Hungaroring and ended the day on top of the timesheets. His fastest lap of the day was also the fastest lap ever recorded around the circuit.
Today’s programme focused on aerodynamic testing and brake developments. The team also worked on the set-up of the car. Mercedes-Benz Power Units today completed 270 laps in total (1,183 km).
George Russell
Day two ran very smoothly and was a much more productive day for the team and me. We did some runs on the HyperSoft tyre, which was an incredible experience for me. I had never driven that tyre before, nor a Formula One car in anything other than a race setup. That was a great experience and it puts a smile on my face that we achieved the fastest lap ever around the Hungaroring. All in all, it’s been two productive and positive days and I can’t wait for the next opportunity to drive an F1 car again.
Rich Lane, Engineer
We’ve had quite a good day today. After a tricky day yesterday, we managed to recover the test and got through most of the programme that we had planned for the week. Today’s work focused on brakes and aerodynamics. We also worked on George’s performance and he did a very good job today as always. It’s been a positive end to the first half of the season and everyone is now looking forward to summer shutdown in a couple of days and then Spa.
The times from Wednesday:
1. George Russell Mercedes 1:15.575 116 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:15.649 131 laps
3. Jake Dennis Red Bull Racing 1:17.012 131 laps
4. Antonio Giovinazzi Sauber 1:17.558 120 laps
5. Nikita Mazepin Force India 1:17.748 51 laps
6. Robert Kubica Williams 1:18.451 103 laps
7. Lando Norris McLaren 1:18.472 73 laps
8. Artem Markelov Renault 1:18.496 108 laps
9. Sean Gelael Toro Rosso 1:19.046 122 laps
10. Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso (Pirelli test) 1:19.790 75 laps
11. Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso (Pirelli test) 1:20.221 67 laps
